Yo, Hold My Fish

January 9, 2017

SHOUTOUT TO THE BEST MAMA IN THE WORLD FOR A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Nuther rad week in the life of Elder Ray in the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission!  

Monday was a regular prep day, shopping and stuff, checked out some pawn shops for the heck of it, and then played some games with our district. At 6 we went out to work and taught the C's, then the J's.

Tuesday we had MLC (Mission Leadership Council, with all the Zone leaders, Sister Training Leaders, assistants, and President/sister Lansing). It was such a great meeting.  A few changes in things that we do in the mission, and we were presented with the new mission training plan for the next couple months, focused on preach my gospel and the Book of Mormon. I'm psyched. After the meeting and after dinner we had a couple good lessons, we taught K., an excommunicated member we have been working with who is trying to come back. Lessons with him are always super spiritual, I love it.

Wednesday we a had lunch meeting with the Embleys—an MLS couple who are over the rest of the MLS couples in our Zone—and the Sister training Leader and her companion to coordinate what we need to do to help the zone continue to improve and work in unity. After that we taught I., had a great lesson where we read the Book of Mormon. We spent some time putting up our posters in all the buildings before dinner... Haha we knocked on a door of a potential at like 8:45 and this dude just hucks the door open and is standing there just wearing basketball shorts, holding a 2x4, and tells us to never knock so late again bahaha.

Thursday morning we met with all the District Leaders in our Zone and trained them on some of the stuff we learned in MLC. We are trying to help them understand how much they can do and the impact they can have on the missionaries in their district. After that we had to drive a DL to the mission office cuz he slacked at getting a ride for a meeting, then we taught a couple recent converts.

Friday morning we got a text from I. asking if we could come over for a lesson! So right after lunch we went over and had a lesson with him. He seems to be getting more and more interested the more we meet and read with him! After the lesson we did call ins till dinner. At about 8pm it was 6 degrees outside and we knock on a door, elder Jensen is wearing a sweater and a big coat and I'm just standing there in a sweater, so the guy says "sorry guys I'm not interested" then as he is closing the door he pauses right before it shuts and opens it a crack and says "what the heck are you doing out here without a coat, it's freezing!" He then yells behind him "Honey this missionary is out here without a coat!" Then I hear his wife yell "is it the same one that was walking around the other day without one?!" Haha. So he yells at us to come in and instantly his wife is looking for a coat and I'm just like "I've got one back home... I'm good..." but no luck. We ended up leaving with a coat and two scarves, and they are going to try and take us out to eat too. I'm a charity case, I guess.

Saturday we taught the B.'s, then had lunch with M. and M.  M. is not a member and his wife is inactive, but they fed us killer teriyaki stake and sushi, and we taught them and picked him up as a new investigator.

Sunday I went to a ward and participated in the baby blessing for one of our ward mission leaders. We went to a few ward councils then met with President Starks, the stake president. Such a great man. We had a couple good lessons that night, and got out of one at 8:40 and then had a phone call with one of the District Leaders for about 5 minutes and then We oymed a man named R. as he was walking up to his house and he just walked in as he was talking to us and then walked out and handed us a little aquarium and said "hold my fish" then walked in and got another and we walked over to his neighbors house and gave it to them so they could watch the fish while they go out of town. We shortly explained how Christ had authority and gave it to his apostles, and it was lost until the restoration. He said that's a great way to describe it and that his mother in law never puts it that simply, she just shoves it down his throat. So we exchanged numbers and are goin to get together. 

Been a pretty rad week, hope you all have a great one!

Love

-Elder Ray

M. & M. with Elders Jensen and Ray